Brown bears are large bear species found across Eurasia and North America.
The population of brown bears in North America are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is known as the Kodiak bear.
It is one of the largest living terrestrial members of the order Carnivora.
In several European countries, the brown bear is recognized as a national and state animal.
The IUCN does not classify this bear or the American black bear as threatened, although their large size may be a disadvantage due to increased competition with humans for resources.
The Himalayan brown bear, which is one of the smaller-bodied forms, is critically endangered, occupying only 2% of its former range
There are several populations of the Eurasian brown bear that are currently isolated, one of which is the Marsican brown bear of central Italy.
In Middle English, the brown bear is sometimes referred to as the bruin.
Of modern bears, the brown bear is the most variable in size.